Local News

Amber Williams first entered Janus as a 17-year-old mother struggling with addiction. More than two decades later, she leads the Santa Cruz County nonprofit as it celebrates 50 years and prepares for a major expansion in Watsonville.

The Rainbow Conference returns to Watsonville High School Sept. 26, bringing LGBTQ+ students, families, educators and allies together for workshops, resources and a day centered on community and celebration.

For 10 months, The Vessel operated in the shadows of Santa Cruz’s mainstream music scene, hosting 75 shows and more than 300 punk, metal, hardcore and alternative bands before closing for good.

After nearly 10 months of bargaining, workers at Verve Coffee Roasters cafés in the Bay Area reached a tentative agreement on Monday with the Santa Cruz-based company. If the majority of workers vote to approve the contract in October — as union leaders expect they will — it will represent an historic win for employees within the specialty coffee industry. 

In September 2025, workers at the Pacific Avenue and Fair Avenue cafés in Santa Cruz and the Market Street location in San Francisco declared their intent to unionize, seeking more equitable pay, consistent hours and a greater voice within the company. Since then, three more cafés – at the headquarters of Meta, Slack and Levi Strauss & Co. – joined the bid. 

Businesses operating in Santa Cruz County must register with the county clerk. Lookout Santa Cruz reviews the public filings from local businesses to report on new businesses starting in the area.

Here is what’s new in local business recently.

New businesses

• PLANS AND PERMITS was registered at 640 El Rancho Dr., Santa Cruz, by Charles York as an individual business on Sept. 8.
• BERRY BEST SOCIAL MEDIA was registered at 197 Brodin Lane, Watsonville, by Marisa Vasquez as an individual business on Sept. 8.
• ROCKIN’ ROLLS – CINNAMON ROLLS was registered at 1130 Pacific Ave., K1, Santa Cruz, by Rockin’ Rolls – Cinnamon Rolls LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 8.
• HOTEL VACATION NANNIES CO. was registered at 101 Civic Center Dr., #521, Scotts Valley, by Samantha M. Navai Seigle as an individual business on Sept. 8.
• BIOSWALE SOLUTIONS LANDSCAPING was registered at 617 Amesti Rd., Watsonville, by Bioswale Solutions LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 8.
• BACK CUT TREE SERVICE was registered at 9520 Manzanita Ave., Ben Lomond, by Anthony Ledesma as an individual business on Sept. 9.
• CLAD, FITCHECK, FITDROP, GALA, LOOM, TWISTS, VENU was registered at 856 Nobel Dr., Santa Cruz, by Daniel Michael Gaughan as an individual business on Sept. 9.
• AGLAEA, TEXTURA, TRIODA, TRIVIA, TUISTS, WAY RIGHT was registered at 856 Nobel Dr., Santa Cruz, by Natalie G. Gaughan as an individual business on Sept. 9.
• MAKAI TARA was registered at 154 Barbara Way, Watsonville, by Makai Tara Kemberly White as an individual business on Sept. 10.
• SMITTYS RESTORATION AND COLLISION was registered at 1218 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz, by Philip Patrick Smith as an individual business on Sept. 10.
• ANGEL APP was registered at 1175 E. Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, by Angel Empire LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 11.
• DE COLORES CLAY was registered at 204 Calabasas Rd., Watsonville, by Daniel Casella as a general partnership on Sept. 11.
• SANTA CRUZ CAMPERS was registered at 1514 Brommer St., Unit B, Santa Cruz, by Eric Jacoby as an individual business on Sept. 11.
• GROUND TRUTH TECH was registered at 19100 Big Basin Way, Boulder Creek, by Stacy C. Hagge-Bennett as an individual business on Sept. 14.
• MODERN BY NATURE was registered at 1609 Escalona Dr., Santa Cruz, by Nicole Van Vleck as an individual business on Sept. 14.
• NORMAS HOUSECLEANING was registered at 95 Pennsylvania Dr., #43, Watsonville, by Normas Housecleaning LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 15.
• THE ADU ATTORNEY was registered at 413 Lake Ave., Suite 104, Santa Cruz, by Jessica Sommer Grigsby as an individual business on Sept. 16.
• CAS CONSTRUCTION was registered at 471 Jolon Dr., Watsonville, by Luis Castaneda as an individual business on Sept. 17.
• COLOR MY WORLD STYLING was registered at 312 Brewington Ave., Watsonville, by Ines Cecilia Odegaard as an individual business on Sept. 17.
• SANTA CRUZ OCC MED was registered at 616 Frederick St., Santa Cruz, by Danette L. Sutton as an individual business on Sept. 17.
• WINTERVINE GARDEN & GROUNDS was registered at 1031 Cayuga St., Apt. B, Santa Cruz, by Wintervine Garden & Grounds LLC as a limited liability company on Sept. 17.
• Aaliyah’s Catering was registered at 24 Ford St., Apt. G, Watsonville, by Laura Terriquez Gonzalez as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• AR HAULING JUNK REMOVAL was registered at 180 Marigold Ave., Freedom, by Ramiro Sosa Avalos as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• SURVIVORS CYCLE SALVAGE was registered at 1345 Brommer St., Santa Cruz, by Isaac Santos as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• SANTA CRUZ CYCLE SALVAGE was registered at 1345 Brommer St., Santa Cruz, by Isaac Santos as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• H&A BOOKKEEPING SERVICES was registered at 61 Conference Dr., Felton, by Alexander R. Faulk as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• JOHNNY MARTINI PRIVATE CHEF was registered at 220 Miller Ct., Santa Cruz, by John Paul Martinez Jr. as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• WHOLEHEARTED EARLY LEARNING SOLUTIONS was registered at 1020 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, by Diana Stephens as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• TIDE AND TIMBER HANDYMAN SERVICES was registered at 1020 West Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, by David C. Stephens as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• JAY HOWE MASONRY was registered at 144 Bradley Dr., Santa Cruz, by Linda Howe as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• COOPER & COOPER ASSOC. was registered at 19 Mountain View Rd., Corralitos, by Fred Lewis Cooper as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• SABORCITO APARICIO was registered at 1975 Chanticleer Ave., Santa Cruz, by Kay Guadalupe Aparicio Hernandez as an individual business on Sept. 18.
• LUNA SHEET METAL was registered at 612 Calle Cuesta, Watsonville, by Luis Gonzalez-Carrillo as an individual business on Sept. 18.

Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your news releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.

MORE LOCAL COVERAGE

The post Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Sept. 22 appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.

This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 7:01 a.m..

Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents

Road incidents as of 7 a.m. on September 22

• A red Honda crashed at the corner of Elkhorn Rd and Strawberry Canyon Rd in Watsonville / Pajaro at 5:45 a.m. today. The car hit dirt and there was smoke from the engine. The driver first said they had chest pain and trouble breathing, but it was later called a non-injury crash. Fire and tow crews came to the scene.
   
• South Highway 1 at Park Avenue in Capitola / Soquel is facing closures for paving work. The closure is expected to end at 7:01 a.m. on Nov. 19.
   
• There are alternating lane closures on both northbound and southbound Highway 9 at Pool Drive in San Lorenzo Valley because of bridge work. This is expected to continue until April 30, 2027, at 6:59 a.m.
   

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

The post Tuesday morning traffic: Red Honda crash in Watsonville; Hwy 1, 9 lane closures appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.